In the manufacture of small boats such as outboard motor boats, of the type where the helmsman faces forward to steer with a steering wheel whose rotation must then be reliably transmitted to the pivotally mounted motor, available transmissions now constitute a significant fraction of the entire cost of the boat. This present high cost results from the fact that it is desirable to hold the motor in position without maintaining a constant force to the steering wheel, and to prevent the ports, which necessary for passing the transmission cables to the steering wheel and to the motor, from leaking water into the hull. Known apparatus for this purpose employ worm gears and rack and pinion devices. But these have not only introduced high costs; they may also become sources of malfunction in the corrosive atmospheres that are associated with boating. Motor propelled boats are known that are capable of being ridden by a single operator in a standing position in the form of a self propelled water ski. However, a man cannot stand or sit on such a boat when it is not in motion, and there has been an unrequited need for an inexpensive shallow draft two-man boat, operable with an outboard motor at high speed, upon which one or two persons could stand, without danger of capsizing, before the boat was underway. Such a boat would require some keel effect to avoid excessive skidding on turns but the keel should not act as a fulcrum for tipping the boat over when the turns are sharp.